Jate Eppy 10 Moments
by Hellmouth23
Summary: JATE ficlet.Does contain spoilers from episode 4x10. In fact it does contain an array of scenes that I nearly flat lined to lol. EPILOGUE IS UP GUYS.
1. Chapter 1

**Back again guys and yes I have seen episode 10 and my head is literally exploding with ideas but I think I'll contain myself for the moment and give you just some of what's swimming around in this filthy mind of mine lol. Also ****Happy birthday Lauren hon. Hope you have a great day and I hope you'll enjoy this little piece as well. **

**Morning**

He groggily woke to a new and sunny day, the faint sound of bird's chirping outside and as much as he welcomed the peace and tranquillity of this time of day he couldn't do that now because he was too buzzed from the previous night's occurrences. His mind remembering every detail, every moan, every plead she conveyed to get her to the end of that seemingly endless tunnel. One which he had no qualms about helping with cause truth be told it was something he had been longing to experience, especially with her and now that he had he was going to do everything in his power to keep it that way.

_Speaking of which where was she?_ He wondered as his right hand wandered over the area he expected to find her, relaxed and sated after their rather busy night of passion.

The very thought of their time together was enough to summon a smile which was an equal mix of satisfaction and accomplishment, but his pride chose the latter and with that he jumped out of bed, grabbing a towel to wrap around himself for the journey ahead.

He tried the kitchen at first and expectedly bumped into one of Aaron's toys, muttering a silent curse on the way but it soon gave way to the smile he had plastered all over his face this morning and it grew even wider when he heard the distinct thrashing of water behind the closed door of their bathroom.

He hadn't really gotten used to using that word. Not because he didn't want to but more so cause he didn't expect for things between them to excel at such a rate. It seems like almost yesterday that he saw her walking out into the clearing on the beach. Her expression so lost, but beautiful to him at the same time.

His first thought was to knock on the door in an effort to give her, her privacy but apparently she felt no need to as he found the door half open, then revealing the blurred silhouette of someone under the shower, and without a second thought considered he guessed right away who it was and then made the final steps forward to confirm his assumptions once and for all.

"Morning" he proclaimed as he poked his head through the gap he had created with the shower door.

"Morning yourself." A flushed Kate replied as her body succumbed to the fresh, heated water that effortlessly cascaded down the length of her slim body. The capability of what that body could accomplish, surprising him to say the least but he wasn't one to cower from it. No, he would embrace it to the fullest and constantly envelop and warm it with his own.

"You're up early." She added as she proceeded to continue on with her shower, giving her captivated audience an arousing view of what was deliberately put on display to get him wanting again.

"Jack?" she momentarily questioned when she received no response. Instead she heard a slight shuffling and seconds later she was welcomed with a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her slender waist. His fingers already setting the sultry rhythm, and in no time he was already inching towards the area that required his utmost attention.

"Mmmmm" she silently moaned at the combined feel of the hot water hitting the surface of her skin and his fingers working effortlessly over her. Each spot he touched elicited a jolt and moan of please out of her, and it proved to benefit her in the end because it only spurred him on even more.

"Feels good?" He strained to ask as his fingers inched closer and closer towards the growing warmth of her excited center. The evidence of that excitement and desire seeping uncontrollably out of her and it simply touched him in return. To know that she was always this wet and ready for him, no matter what time of day it was.

"Jack" was the only sensible thing she could find the will to convey as she felt two of his fingers entering her, and when she failed to show any resistance against it he added a third and then a fourth, making the experience painful but a pleasurable one at the same time.

"Fuck, Kate." He grunted as his ministrations caused her form to buck further into him and his arousal, which was on the brink of release itself but his concentration on the current task at hand issued him the pre longed time he so desperately needed in an effort to fully ride this experience out.

"Faster……ahh, faster please Jac…..." She started to chant, first in the form of a silent mutter and then gradually gathering strength sound wise to be heard and satisfied in return once and for all.

The only thing being exchanged between the lovers now were mutual gasps of please and the occasional exclamation to convey a moment when the pleasure became too much to bear, but as always Jack was always there to keep her grounded and in control of what he was striving to bring out of her.

"God, Kate. You close babe?" he growled into her neck and the vibrations reverberated throughout her entire body in response. Its effect strengthening and forcing the imminent rush she felt rising within the pit of her belly.

"Kate?" he questioned more so in concern, especially when he heard her continuously eliciting an extremely high pitched squealing sound. His ministrations immediately stilling in an effort to not cause any more pain he assumed at first, but he was rather surprised when she opened her eyes and then looked back at him with a strained expression of need and want. The implications within her gaze so strong that it nearly knocked him off his feet, and all he wanted to offer her at that moment was a comforting smile and the sweetest of kisses to show her how much it warmed him to be wanted and needed in that way.

"What do you want Kate?" was the first thing he asked once he reluctantly pulled away from her plumped lips, and he momentarily chuckled when she simply refused to let go of the engagement he had initiated in the first place.

"Jack" she warned in a low voice when he thought it would be amusing to prolong the anticipation just a tad longer, but once again she managed to surprise him by grasping hold of his probing length, his one source of weakness in this playful tug of war and he was forced to do nothing but give into her completely. His form leaning more into her while his hands wrapped around her smaller and more slender frame.

"Ka……Kate you have to." He spoke incoherently as he felt her hand working just the top part of him, her fingers flirting ever so slightly with the pre cum leaking from the head of his engorged cock.

"Now tell me what you want Jack?" she proposed in a somewhat victorious manner over having gained control of the situation.

"I think you already know." was the last thing she heard him say before she was briefly lifted up into the air and then gently placed along the bathroom tiled wall a few feet behind from where they stood. Once she was secured against the cool surface with the delicious weight of his body pressing into hers, he then gazed down at the physically element of his desire for her and grabbed hold of it to position himself for the glorious ride ahead.

"Hmmmm……in me please." She more or less pleaded off him as her gaze also travelled down to catch sight of his fully erect length making the least bit of contact with it's destination, but his hand was restraining it from moving any further.

"Jacccccck" she whined, giving him the perfectly rehearsed puppy dog look, but he was far from being in a light mood. No, the lust and concentration he had in his eyes was enough to show her a completely different side of him. One she had only seen once before and it not only touched her emotionally but it aroused her physical want for him even more.

"Tell me how you want it Kate?" he asked while slightly bending down to her level to catch every reaction to his question cause the last thing he wanted her to feel was forced in this kind of situation. If anything he wanted her to embrace the moment just like he was doing so right now.

"Tell me." He emphasised while placing his hands on either side of her face. His lips acquiring a few short but deep kisses along the way and by the end of it she was too caught up in the moment to verbally express what she wanted so she just nodded in frantic agreement with anything he had planned at this point, and he felt that he would explode if he held on for any longed, so with that he took hold of his hardened length once again and entered her constricting depths inch by inch. Every muscle in his body twitching and flexing as the head of his cock touched upon the rim of her entrance. The rest soon following with a dragged out moan elicited from both parties, and once he was firmly buried right up to the base, he focused his gaze upon her face once again and then started to move, longing to hear his name on her lips in the way he had heard it so many times already but he couldn't help but hear it again.

Just one more time, he mentally vowed to himself but there was only so much his logical side had control over.

"Oooooo, I….." Kate gasped out as trembling hands gripped his shoulders in a death grip and it gained considerable pressure when his thrusts gained pace. Each one bucking her more and more into him, and when it got too much she grabbed the sides of his face and plastered him with a kiss strong enough to make him loose all feeling whatsoever but thankfully he still had an ounce of strength within him to maintain their connection and rhythm for the time being.

"You close." He asked her despite feeling a distinct tightening around his thrusting cock and before she could get the words out she was screaming instead. Her voice wavering much like they way her orgasm was riding itself out. The pain continuing to hit with each wave but Jack was right there to soothe it with his voice and embrace and she took complete trust and comfort in it.

Once she recovered somewhat she slowly opened her eyes and released an immediate smile. One he mirrored as his lips sealed with hers again, his thrusts soon resuming with it's methodical rhythm, and all Kate did in response was lay back and become a willing participant to what it would surely bring out of her once again.

The only thing that could be heard apart from the muffled moans behind the shower door was the expected sound of the radio blaring through the expanse of their bedroom.

_Good morning Los Angeles and it looks like it's going to be a great morning._

_It was indeed._


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so glad that you're here**

**First off thanks so much for all the reviews guys and here's the second scenario of four in total. **

Things had changed dramatically within the last few weeks, she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands twitching to break free from the oversized confines of the oversized sleeves of the shirt she was wearing at the moment. The smell that lingered upon it so intoxicating that it almost was as good as having him, but her greed to have more won out in the end, and with that she branched out to search for him, still dressed in her unusual but fitting attire.

She initially opted to simply call out for him, but she stopped herself in the end considering the fact that there was a baby in the house, speaking of which where was he?

The last time she did catch sight of him was during the football game he was watching and cheering along with Jack while she went about preparing dinner, vegetarian lasagna. It was the one dish she had perfected but she tried her level best to extend her knowledge on cooking and thankfully Jack was quite the chef as well so he helped out whenever he could. Although it was the weekend so she wanted to give him the rest she felt he needed.

Eight steps later and she was suddenly stilled with a sight that caused tears to form within her eyes.

It was moments like this that made her love him even more. His voice so soothing as he continued to read Aaron his bed time story. At that very moment her hand inched towards the recess of her firm stomach. Her heart secretly wishing that there was something existing beneath it, but she sadly knew that there wasn't and even if there was it would only cause unnecessary complications.

Or would it? She took the time to reconsider as she witnessed the heart warming scene before her.

"Ah….that's the great puzzle." He spoke and stopped himself mid way when he saw that Aaron was fast asleep. The light snoring he heard being clear enough to suggest it and with that he slowly got up and then turned off his night light. Once that was done he slowly walked out and passed a watchful Kate leaning against the doorway.

"You know he really does like you telling that story." She confessed with a beaming smile and he briefly cowered with embarrassment at her compliment, but he managed to recover in time to respond with a memory that sparked his mind at that very moment.

"My old man used to read me that story." He revealed and she offered him a warm smile in return, but failed to verbally express the reason behind eliciting such a smile.

"What?" he decided to ask anyway in an attempt to satisfy his curiosity over her apparent fascination with his comment.

"Nothing…..it's just really sweet to hear you say nice things about your Dad."

"I don't say nice things about my Dad." He teased and momentarily paused to numb the slight stab of pain hit him at the very referral of his Father.

"Well he was a good story teller, I'll give him that." He added, still hanging his head in thought, and weirdly enough Kate seemed to sense it was something more, and without a second thought she walked forward to then place herself in front of him. Her face just about lining up with his chin but it was enough for her to know that something was wrong.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked as her hands crawled up his steadily breathing sternum to then land on his chest.

"Yeah." He responded with a silent sigh as he slowly placed his hands on her sides, his fingers already rubbing the clothed expanse in soothing circles, and as always the action caused her to lose complete focus of everything around her, but her growing concern for him at the moment seemed to outweigh these plaguing thoughts just a tad.

"You can talk to me Jack. I'm not going anywhere." She affirmed with the utmost determination in her tone while her hands snaked around his neck to pull him even closer into her, and he wasn't negligent in the slightest to pull away from it. It only caused his embrace to tighten around her and the change in engagement led their lips to practically touch now, their breathing progressing in pace and rate as the heat between them excelled to that of a dizzying state.

"I love you." he whispered while alternating his gaze between gauging her reaction and then focusing on her lips when he felt it seemed right to seal a confession like this in the most traditional way.

Kate on the other hand just melted once again at hearing those three words escape his lips. It had been so long since they had, had a moment like this and she wasn't about to abandon the opportunity to embrace it to the fullest. So with that in mind she slowly leaned forward and did what he was striving and hesitating to do at the same time, but that sense of hesitation flew right out the window when she mouthed a matching confession against his mouth, and he fully gave in from that moment onward. His mouth opening to literally devour hers whole, but it was a considerably hard thing to achieve due to the height restriction so he briefly hunched to her height and then effortlessly grasped her form into the air and straight into him. The new position not only granting the physical access they both so desperately needed but it also gave him the control he felt he needed to posses during moments such as these, and thankfully Kate had no qualms in relinquishing it to him whatsoever.

They literally spent the next three minutes or so seeing who could kiss who breathless and when it simply got too much, Jack slowly walked towards the direction of their bedroom, his mouth heavily engaged with hers the entire time and when both parties felt the need to pull away to catch their breath, Jack already took matters into his hands and ran the rest of the way there. The action causing Kate to laugh out loud while tightening the grip she had over him.

"Easy tiger." She joked through her fit of giggles and all Jack did in response was let out his best attempt at a growl while saying……..

"Yeah, well this tiger is very very hungry if you know what I mean."

"Dr. Shepherd." She mock gasped but soon relented to his sultry kisses and caresses, and minutes later she found herself lying flat on the king size bed directly beneath his watchful gaze. The extent of his focus warming every inch of her body in return, but it also lead her to automatically question it as well

"What?" she asked with a smile while running her hand through his shortly cropped hair. His eyes briefly shutting to fight the sheer arousal he felt at her touch, and chuckled to himself when she simply refused to still her actions to give him the chance to say what he wanted to say.

"How do you do that?" he asked, honestly marveled at the power she had over him, mentally and physically but more so the latter as his body soon reacted to it's natural way to ride out this warming sensation he now felt growing over the surface of his skin.

"Do what?" she struggled to ask as his lips attached and then dragged across the surface of her slim neckline and then dipping the tip of his tongue into her collarbone area.

"Make me feel so alive and……" he strained to verbally express it as his body was struggling to break free, more specifically a part of him that strained with the most need.

"And…" Kate urged, succumbing even further to the effect of his ministrations

"What do you think?" he growled out while finally offering her the chance to feel the full lengthed evidence of what she was doing to him. Of what her body was capable of bringing out of his very own and at some points it brought so much out of him that he found it hard to maintain a sense of balance, but the only thing that kept him in check somewhat was the way he felt about this woman beneath him. The sheer extent of his feelings firmly willing for him to take things slow in an effort to remember every second of it, the same way he did every time they were together like this.

The first thing he did was remove each button to his now ruffled shirt on her, slowly uncovering the distinct lack of clothing beneath it and he simply smiled at the very thoughtful action. An action he decided to award by a means of doing the same with himself. His grey fitted t-shirt coming off as he continued to hover above her bucking form, and before he had the chance to do the same with his trousers, the little minx below him had already managed to get it undone and unzipped, her body then anxiously waiting for him to remove it so that they could finally experience each other, but she grew rather confused and frustrated when he stilled himself instead.

"Jack?" she questioned trying to keep the frustration out of her tone as much as possible, but thankfully enough she received her response in the form of him slowly crawling upon her much like an approaching predator, and once he was within perfect line of her gasping lips, he then conveyed the sole reason he had committed this sultry action for.

"Take it off." He more or less ordered off her and she was too consumed with want to disagree in any manner. In fact the order only aroused her even more, and with that she grew increasingly frantic with her actions, specifically in following through with the order, but with some maneuvering the offending garment was finally removed and thrown towards the edge of the bed. Whilst that happened Jack quickly sneaked his hand to remove her white panties, the evidence of her arousal so pungent beneath the flimsy material that it took everything within him to not just plunge himself in at that very moment, and her silent but recognizable pleas weren't helping ease his resolve in the slightest. So in an effort to please both of them he quickly moved down the length of her body and aligned his mouth with the place where her heat and arousal radiated the most. His tongue already jutting out to feel and taste the outer rim of her entrance, and when he felt she was ready enough for him he gently inserted the tip of his tongue into her depths. Her body making an arch formation as her hands grasped the sides of his rhythmically moving head.

She had never felt so out of function with her body. His ministrations so tantalizing and impressionable that it restricted her from feeling anything other than it's effect on her.

"Ooooo….Jac……" she moaned into the vacant air before her while widening her legs to encourage more of what we was doing and slowly bringing out of her as well.

"Jack, Jack." She started to chant as she felt her body tightening to mark the arrival of her impending release, and Jack moans as a result of acquiring her taste only spurred on the gush of the flow she felt reverberating through her, and on the fifth chant of his name she finally came with a voiceless scream. A gesture she was forced to make due to the numbing effect she felt as he continued to work his mouth over her pulsing center.

It was at least a solid five minutes or so before she got a hold on her bodily functions again, only to have them weaken and melt when she now found a pair of brown eyes staring at her with nothing but awe and amazement.

"You're so beautiful when your like this." He mused as he balanced his weight on his elbows, his right hand brushing away a stray curl from her sweaty forehead while his left traced along the frame line of her sated body. His touch still creating an electrifying result but it was also accommodated with a sense of warmth, and not just the physical one she felt brushing against her thigh at the moment.

"I'm so glad you changed your mind." She expressed in a surprisingly shy manner that had Jack smiling in admiration while his eyes moistened with swelling emotion.

"I'm so glad that you're here." She added and gradually faded with a whisper when her emotions got the better of her.

"Me too." Jack whispered with a matching tone of emotion right before he sealed his lips with hers in a kiss that conveyed just how much he wanted to be here, in her arms, kissing her and simply loving her in the way she truly deserved. A feeling she gleefully gave into with a moan as he strived to physically prove it, again and again.

_This is where they needed to be all along._

**Two down, two to go. I figured that I would end this little ficlet with the last jate scene of the epsiode, "The argument" which is what the fourth chapter will be called, but that will follow after "Marry me".**

**So what do you think guys?? would you like to see more or has my growing hyperness with the episode forced me to lose it completely lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Marry me**

**So you guys likey this fic eh, hehe. Well moi does love writing it as well. As always thanks so much for the reviews and without further adieu here's the third.**

Enjoy

"Kate? Wake up." He silently asked as he placed his hand on her back, the shivering warmth awakening her senses somewhat but it was his voice that she tiredly responded to in the end.

"Hey." She tiredly replied while trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes, and he just waited patiently but anxiously for her attention and once he got it he was at a loss for words once again.

_How is __it that someone can look so beautiful_ , he momentarily mused to himself as she sat before him bathed in the dwelling moonlight seeping in through the drawn curtains.

"What time is it?" he suddenly found himself being asked and with that he snapped himself out of his reverie and then proceeded to think of some sort of explanation, but he found it considerably hard to form anything due to what Hurley had told him.

"It's late. I just got home."

"Were you working?" Kate immediately inquired growing concerned by his distinct change in demeanour.

"I uh…….I just had to stop and get something." He stuttered to explain while trying to search for a plausible way to approach what had been playing on his mind for a while now, but first he needed affirmation with one other thing in an effort to clear his conscience once and for all.

"What's wrong Jack?" Kate coaxed to ask while attempting to physically soothe him by massaging the back of his head in a calm and rhythmic fashion.

"The other night, when I was reading to Aaron you said that I was a natural…….." he started out while displaying the hint of a smile at the last part, but the expression paled considerably when the time to question it came.

"Do you really think that I'm good at this?" he struggled to ask through the conflicting emotions he felt surfacing as a result of the words that continued to plague his mind.

_You're not supposed to raise him Jack._

She honestly had no idea where this was all coming from, but what caught her the most at that moment was the look of pure hopelessness in his eyes. In some ways it made her realise how serious he was about them and the relationship they finally had after what seemed like forever. Sure enough Aaron was an unexpected addition to the mix and she was admittedly scared with having to raise him as her own, but as time went on she grew more used to it. He was her son now and she knew without a doubt in her mind that Jack possessed the capability to be a great Father as well.

"Yeah……you're good at this." she spoke with the utmost determination in her tone accompanied by a warm smile that eased the tension in the room considerably.

_I can be good at this_ _,_ he immediately affirmed himself as she continued to sit in front of him, offering him nothing but comfort and promise in her gaze and demeanour, and he couldn't help but succumb to it's dizzying and extremely heart warming effects in turn.

_Love._

There was simply no other way to interpret the combined outcome of this feeling he now felt reverberating through every fibre of his being, and he knew that there was only one way he could attempt to reciprocate it, or more so seal it with the very kind of commitment he had longed to have with her, more so since the trial.

Kate on the other hand just continued to sit there mentally deciphering what was going through his mind at that moment, and as a result she automatically braced herself for the worst, but nothing could have prepared her for the next words to come out of his mouth.

"Will you marry me?"

She was expectedly at a loss for words at that point, but one thing reined true, especially when she caught sight of a sparkling diamond ring presenting itself before her, much like the man who was attempting to proclaim such a monumental form of commitment.

He waited, anxiously but patiently for an answer, but all he witnessed instead was a complete emotional toll from the brunette and he couldn't seem to tell which side it rooted from but he kept an open mind and a hopeful heart until she finally gave her emotionally elated response. One she kept on repeating again and again through her thickening tears.

"Of course I will yes……" she strived to confirm not only to herself but also to the man she had just sworn her love and commitment to. The concept still not sinking in but the erratic thumping of her swelling heart was enough to show her that this was something she wanted too, and with that she willingly leaned forward to lovingly embrace her new fiancée, his arms quickly winding around her in an almost desperate fashion, but there was enough strength in his grip to show that it was more a longing he had to be close to her. To feel her skin warming against his and she just let out a laugh to convey the sheer giddy feeling she felt wash over her at that moment. However it soon gave way to her tears and as much as a part of him was concerned by it, the other was too caught up in the moment to regard anything else other than embracing it to the fullest.

"I……." Kate started out once they pulled away but they were momentarily stalled by the distant sound of a wailing child.

"I'll be right back." She added right before she grabbed hold of her silk robe to tend to the boy leaving Jack to finally ponder over what just happened.

_I'm __engaged, holy shit I'm getting married,_ was the first thing to finally hit his senses. The reality of what it meant throwing him slightly but he quickly assured himself that it was the right thing to do. Doing this would finally wash away the unnecessary insanity that would have slowly consumed him if he continued to live a life of constant doubt and despair as a result.

Doing this would also defeat the one thing Hurley said he couldn't do. Who was he or whatever higher power there was to make this kind of decision for him. In his mind it was for no one else but him to decide whether he wanted to be a Father to Aaron or not. If he didn't want to be then he would have never considered the possibility in the first place.

"Penny for your thoughts." He suddenly found himself being asked by the brunette now placing herself next to him on the edge of their bed.

"Aaron okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Just a little cranky for some reason but nothing a good bedtime story couldn't fix." She joked while nudging him playfully and he gave into the light hearted gesture somewhat but she could still sense that something was bothering him and that feeling of concern excelled when she saw him burying his face into his hands.

"Jack? What's wrong?" she gently inquired as she placed herself even closer to him and when he failed to respond she slowly placed her hand against the side of his face.

"Talk to me." She urged with a little more encouragement and he took a deep breath and finally chose to speak.

"I saw Hurley today." He nervously revealed causing for Kate to widen her eyes in surprise and then furrow her eyebrows in confusion when his contorted into an expression of pain at being constantly reminded of those words despite his previous efforts to ignore it.

"You did? Was he okay, did he……….." Kate tried to respond while trying to refrain from using the "C" word because in her mind it was the farthest thing to refer her friend as.

"He told me something. Something that really led me to think about me, about us and I….." he tried to explain but struggled to find the right words to come at this.

"What did he tell you?" she asked, trying to rein in her surfacing emotions at having to see his erupting at an uncontrollable rate as he struggled to continue.

"That I'm not supposed to raise him……"

"To raise Aaron." He decided to confess knowing that was who Hurley or more Charlie meant and Kate was once again at a loss for words at what he had just said, and the more she thought about it, the more she started to realise why this was all happening. His questioning earlier of being good enough to raise Aaron and most of all the proposal.

Was that the only reason he wanted to be with her, to prove some higher power wrong? She actually dared to question and she got nothing in response but countless chants of the word "absurdity". After all they had been through on and off the island there shouldn't have been a doubt in her mind to question their feelings for each other, most of all hers.

That day after the conference when they first arrived back in the real world was the day she finally confessed what she had felt for so long, and getting it off her chest was admittedly a relief for so many reasons at the time, but it was different now. They had been through enough obstacles since then to stop them from being together now.

"Maybe he was rig…." She immediately saw it coming as she gave him her attention once again, his gaze uncertain and scared.

"Look at me Jack." she asked off him but for some reason he couldn't find the courage to do so and with that she opted to crawl up to him, closing the distance between them in the meantime, and once she gained the position she strived to initiate she grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him with all the passion and intent she could muster. He was a tad resilient at first about giving in, but the temptation seemed too good to pass up and as the kiss progressed so did his willingness to return it with a matching passion of his own.

"We've been through enough Jack. Enough to know that this, us is meant to be and I don't know about you but I don't want to wait any longer."

With that said she leaned forward and sealed her lips with his, feeling that enough was said from that moment on, apart from the words she mouthed against his lips before he fully gave in with a gathering smile.

_I want to be Mrs. Jack Shepherd._

**I know it's not the usual smutty instalment but I can assure you that the chappie "The argument" will be, along with a fair share of angst as well. Moi has it all planned out ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**The argument**

**Thanks once again for the lovely review guys and here it is the fourth and "possibly" final instalment for this little ficlet. Hope you'll like it guys :)**

Enjoy

_(__The previous night before)_

_He had been driving around aimlessly for the last hour. No specific destination in mind at the moment but the thought of acquiring a liquid fix crossed his mind several times, but in the end he just headed for home. His mind still plagued by what he saw back at Hospital and also of what Hurley had specifically warned him if he were to ignore the supposed island's requirement of him._

_Ten minute__s later and he was pulling into the spacious driveway, most of the lights still on in the house he observed as he walked up to the front door, but soon he was awarded with the muffled talking of a voice he was overly familiar with once he entered the confines of the apartment. Without any sense of hesitation to consider he slowly walked through the hall and into the kitchen where he suddenly caught sight of her turned away from him and on the phone with someone. _

"_I can stay for another hour" he then heard her propose and in response his attention peaked to that of a worrying stage. Along with that worry loomed a thousand questions but each one strived to ask the initial thing._

_Who was she seeing?_

_He was offered a restricted amount of time to think about it before he suddenly found himself face to face with her._

"_Hi…..you scared me" the brunette offered with the slightest sense of fear within her tone but she hid it as well as the thing she had been hiding from him all this time._

"_Sorry." He muttered with a slight smile while thinking of how to word his worry without coming off jealous in any way._

"_Who was that?" _

"_Oh, that was Noreen. She's one of the mums from the park." Kate confessed with a convincing and it's effect worked with him at the time, but soon that would all change._

_(End of flashback)_

He sat here now, a half empty glass in hand and an array of drinks laid out on the table before him.

She was honestly the last person he would have expected this from, but to a certain extent he should have seen it coming. A part of him was always slightly bothered with her almost nonchalant attitude towards his extreme working hours, but the majority was immensely relieved to know that she was okay with this kind of lifestyle.

_Was there a contention behind it all along?_ He now wondered, assuming to make some sense of the nonsense in his current state.

Ever since they had been back all he wanted to do was forget about the island and try to resume with the old ways of his life, but he found that considerably hard to do with cameras constantly flashing in his face whenever he was out in public. However three months later and things were finally starting to look up or at least he thought it was.

"Hey." He numbly replied as he continued to sit in a slouched position, observing the weary but approaching brunette before him.

"Hey, you're home early." Kate spoke while lightly grasping the front of her stomach to physically convey her genuine sense of surprise at seeing him here.

"Yeah, well I thought I would surprise you." He shot back while leaning forward to pour himself another drink, and Kate's smile immediately vanished upon seeing this all too familiar scene taking place before her very eyes.

"Where's Veronica?" she decided to ask anyway while trying her best to ignore the weird way he was behaving solely due to the alcohol but she sensed it was something more.

"I sent her home. Where were you?" he attempted to ask deciding to cut right to the chase cause he was growing awfully tired of what had been occurring ever so frequently over the past few weeks, much to his latent notice.

"I just had to run some errands and I guess I got caught up…….." she vowed to explain but he cut her off in a rather violent manner.

"Got caught up in what?"

"What's this about Jack?" Kate asked growing slightly agitated by the accusations she sensed were coming.

"Last night when I came home you were on the phone with someone." He added and the prolonged silence that followed was enough to confirm his growing suspicions. That was until she chose to award him with a response.

"Jack, I told you it was Nauree……."

"Don't." he warned cutting her off once again and before she could try and elaborate with her statement he got up and walked to the opposite side of the room.

"Jack?" Kate humbly questioned in a wavering tone due to her surfacing emotions, but with all of that she gained enough bravery to walk up to him. One way or another he deserved to know.

"Please, listen to me." She cautiously asked off him while physically bracing herself for the worst of what would become of this night.

"So who is he?" Jack asked, taking her by surprise completely, but a part of her had the slightest inclination that this is what he would obviously assume, and to a certain extent could she even blame him for having to think of such a thing.

"Jack…." She silently requested while trying to form some sort of valid excuse for the time being but unfortunately she came up with nothing other than the thing she had been sworn to secrecy. Jack on the other hand clearly had other things on his mind when he whipped himself around the next minute to begin his interrogation.

"Do I know him?"

"Stop it." She warned in a low and trembling tone. Her eyes shutting as tight as they could when he then took a step towards her, his breath coming in short but impressionable gasps and she couldn't help but feel somehow aroused by it.

"C'mon Kate……." He more so growled when she failed to offer him an immediate answer.

"Did it feel good?"

"Stop it." She warned in a slightly louder tone, trying to walk away in an attempt to shy away from this absurdity, but it seemed Jack had other plans as he gripped her right arm, the action then forcing her to fall into him and he spared no time in seizing what this opportunity offered.

"Tell me." He demanded as he slammed her against the nearest surface with his body. The mantle of the fire place now digging painfully into her side, but nothing could compare to the pain she felt roaring though her heart as she saw the sheer effect of her actions.

In the back of her mind she always sensed something like this would happen when he gained the slightest inclination of what she was in fact doing all this time, but never had she expected it to be this severe. Her here with his body pressing roughly into her and his eyes burning with a mix of anger and a hint of something else she now observed, but it was considerably hard to determine through the blurring layer of her own tears.

"Jack, please…..don't" She begged one last time, hoping that there was some shred of forgiveness left within him, but the odds of seeing that occur were as good as the expectations of a miracle.

"Don't what Kate? Don't mention the fact that you've been lying to me all this time or that you're screwing some other guy in the process. I mean that's what this is all about isn't it." He spat out in a fit of complete rage and she physically flinched in response, though feeling like she probably deserved this. Never the less she still strived to persuade him to trust in what they had, but the outcome of her efforts only seemed to spur on his verbal lashing in turn, and it failed to stop until she was forced to reveal the actual reason behind her frequent absences of late.

"I made him a promise." She added as he walked away from her and within that moment he whipped himself around to ask her the obvious question."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter it has nothing to do with us..." she stressed to make her point clear, taking note to put extreme emphasis on the last part cause she had to make him believe that she wasn't the same person she was on the island.

"The why won't you tell me?" he asked while trying his level best to keep his calm because the very mention of the Hillbilly's name was enough to send him into a jealous rage.

Cause…..cause he wouldn't want me to." She explained knowing that it wouldn't vanquish his doubt completely, but she hoped that it would ease it somewhat. Although the endless silence she then received as a response was enough to shatter her hopes altogether.

"Jack?" she felt the need to question in an attempt to figure out what was going through his head and what decision he would make as a result.

_What was it about him?_ he wondered as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that things hadn't changed one bit despite his efforts to prove that he was worthy enough to love and cherish her in the way he felt she deserved.

_Maybe that was __my mistake. _

"Where are you going?" Kate asked as he wordlessly pushed past her to find the closest form of escape, and when he did he just stood there, allowing for the pain and realisation to finally kick in.

"I love you."

Any other time and he would have rewarded such a confession with a physical proclamation built on nothing but elation and relief. However things were considerably different now and the effect of those words failed to make any kind of impression because he now knew that she didn't mean them. Not while she was still hung up on the one person he had always considered a threat despite everything that had happened in the last two years.

_How could I be stupid enough to even think that I could compare._

It was that thought that willed him to make that final step out the door, leaving her to feel nothing but regret for having ruined yet another good thing in her life.

"Mommy." She suddenly heard the trembling voice of a little boy standing right behind her, his little arms fiercely clutching the soft toy whale he had always regarded as his safety blanket.

"Hey, swee'pea…" Kate exclaimed as she tried to sniff her tears away, but they only surfaced once again when she surveyed the fairly desolate reality of her life now. All she had to live for now was this little boy in her arms and she firmly vowed to herself at that moment that she would never jeopardise that in any way.

"I love you little one. I love you so much." She expressed and was suddenly struck with a slight jolt of almost acknowledgement of those words from some source but never the less it left her feeling comforted. The end result of this new feeling helping to dissipate the pain somewhat.

(Meanwhile)

"You know a man like you shouldn't be drinking alone." A rather scantily clad woman announced as she placed herself on the vacant bar stool next to the distracted Doctor.

"I'm Nora." The woman then proceeded to introduce herself despite the man's initial negligence to associate with her in any way, but the slight smile she received gave her something to hang onto, and with that she secretly strived to make something of this night.

Half an hour and five beers later and he could barely make out anything in front of him let alone the woman who was plundering his mouth at the moment. Physically it felt good at first, but he was still emotionally distraught about what happened earlier, and with that in mind he pulled away with whatever power he could muster in this state, leaving the woman opposite him whimpering and frustrated.

"I have to….." he tried getting out but was cut off once again by a persistent pair of lips stroking and lightly biting the surface of his. Her intentions made clear to him in that one moment, and he gave in somewhat knowing in the back of his mind that this was wrong, but the more he thought about it and the more he felt that there was nothing for him to be ashamed or concerned about cause she was the one who had broken his heart, and for a second time round none the less.

The question was, was he truly ready to let go and move on?

* * *

She found it considerably hard to fall into a peaceful slumber that night solely due to the vacant space next to her. His smell still faintly lingered on the sheets and it brought her a temporary sense of comfort but nothing could really compare to the way it felt to have his arms around her, especially after they had made love.

Never had she felt the way she did when she was with him. He always managed to touch on just the right spots igniting nothing but her will to achieve more of it. He was kind, sweet, immensely passionate she thought as a blush crept upon her cheeks at remembering the countless number of times they had ended their day in bed sweaty and almost out of breath but still relishing in the aftermath of what the experience offered.

_This is all I have now_, she painfully reminded herself as she stared at the space beside her on the bed. Her mind half hoping that she would close her eyes and open them to see him there, but nothing…………

_Nothing_

In the end she simply gave up and buried her tear streaked face into his pillow, not even hearing the distinct shuffling downstairs only minutes later.

He had literally spent the first five minutes searching around for his key until he found it, momentarily holding it in the air like some kind of trophy until he figured out it's purpose.

He slightly stumbled on his way in and then sobered almost immediately when he felt the rumbling effects of a typical hangover forcing it's way to the surface, and he was rather thankful that he was only a few feet away from the downstairs bathroom. Following that he took a nice, long shower hoping to wash away the remnants of what had happened earlier on tonight, but he still felt ashamed for so many reasons, one of them being the fact that he kind of made this all about him. Not even bothering to regard or listen to her side of the argument.

No, all he did was remind her of what he had done to hopefully earn her trust and love in him, only to then rub it in her face at the very mention of Sawyer's name.

_Damnit,_ he grunted as he punched the tile before him, and when the memory seized to faded from his mind, he decided to vent his frustration out by proclaiming an all out assault on the tiled wall before him. His mind picturing every minute of that moment with each punch and he didn't give up until his knuckles were battered and bleeding as a result.

At first she thought she was imagining things but the muffled thumping she heard grew even louder, and with that she rushed out of bed grabbing her robe along the way, taking note to check on Aaron along the way. The first thing she came across were a bunch of keys abandoned on the floor and once she went forward to pick them up she grew entranced once again by the thumping that had woken her up in the first place, and before she could attempt to find the source of this sound, it then more so presented itself before her still dripping wet and clad in a towel. Although the thing that caught her attention more was the reason he had unexpectedly shown himself in the first place.

"What happened?" Kate exclaimed in growing terror as she darted to tend to his bloodied hands, momentarily forgetting about the earlier events in the process and he certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring it up again, but still he was rather surprised at show of concern over him, especially after what he had done.

"So you wanna tell me who got on the wrong side of those hands?" the brunette asked as she set out to retrieve the first aid kit from the kitchen, handing him a cloth to use as a temporary bandage to stop the incessant bleeding.

"It was nothing." He muttered hoping that she would drop it there because he feared resurfacing it would only make matters worse than they probably already were.

"Well I'm sure you showed whoever it was what you were made of." she joked as she walked back into the room, a small white box in hand.

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly in response, but he immediately hissed in pain when Kate began to survey the condition of the wound.

"I'm fine." He tried to offer in an attempt to appease her but she simply ignored him in return and continued on with her observations, ad when she was done she went to retrieve the things she felt would repair the situation of the wound.

"See, it's not that bad." He added growing slightly amused by her worry over such a menial thing.

"Yeah, well tell that to the bathroom wall."

"Sorry about that and I'll pay……." he offered of which she just hushed him with an absurd look and a "shut up Jack" to add to it. By the end of it he wasn't sure whether she was off with him again, but that feeling of doubt was put to rest with what he was asked off him next.

"So…….any colour preference?"

He smiled right away at the nostalgic question while feeling the emotional weight on his shoulders ease considerably.

"Why don't you pick this time." He shot back taking advantage of the light hearted moment and for the first time that night she allowed a full fledged smile to grace her freckled features, the breathtaking sight willing him to elicit his own.

All both parties wanted to do at that moment was kiss each other senseless and forget about everything else, but that was certainly easier said than done, especially in this sort of situation.

They spent the next few minutes deliberating on what to do next and it wasn't until Jack hissed ever so slightly that Kate realised what she was meant to be doing. So with that in mind she seated herself in front of him and proceeded to soothe his injuries.

"I'm impressed." Jack mused as he witnessed her work effortlessly over the wound, but that definitely wasn't the case in her mind.

"I learned from the best." She commented with a smile as she finished bandaging his hands, making sure they were firmly wrapped but not to the extent where he would be suffering from a loss in circulation.

"So……." Kate then started in a light hearted and encouraging manner but it seemed Jack wanted to get straight to the nitty gritty center of what they were both trying to avoid all this time.

"We should talk Kate." He proposed and she reluctantly agreed while thinking over her options, particularly what would be at stake if she were to conceal any more secrets. Little did she know that it was about to turn into an epidemic.

"Kate I……I want to apologise for what I said earlier on. I know I should trust more in what we have."

"No, you were right. Besides I don't think I wouldn't be all that comfortable if I found out that you had done the same."

He physically flinched at her statement, being reminded right away about what nearly happened before he decided to come home. Thankfully he didn't go all the way, but what worried him is that a part of him wanted to.

"Jack?"

"Huh –oh, sorry I……." he stumbled to find the right words to say and he found it all the more harder to do so when she made the daring move to stroke the side of his tense face.

_What would she think of me?_ He thought to himself as the awful memory flooded his senses once again.

"Hey, is everything okay?" she inquired and grew incredibly confused and slightly hurt when he pulled away from her, almost in shame leading for her to think the obvious.

"I understand." She uttered while trying her level best to not show how much it broke her heart to know that things could never be the same again. However Jack took her statement of relent in a complete different way.

For a moment he gained the absurd notion that she somehow knew what he was trying so desperately to confess, but he dismissed it knowing that there was no way she could in fact know.

"She kissed me." He muttered more to himself in an attempt to clear his conscience, but it didn't seem to ease Kate's confusion when she heard him say it. That was until he faced her with a look of guilt, evoking one of dreaded realisation from her.

"Kate I…." he tried to explain but she just placed her hand in the air to suggest a wordless request for him to not continue any further cause it was enough for her.

"So I guess this is payback, huh."

He continued to remain silent to her words, knowing that there weren't any to make up for what he had done. Even though it was just a kiss, it still showed that he had the potential to inherit the one quality he didn't want from his Father. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even regard the fact that she had gotten something to show to him.

"Her name is Clem, Clementine Ford." She revealed while throwing the picture towards his direction and once he took a good look at it she continued on with what she wanted to say before she disregarded him completely.

"I guess we're even now." He heard her say right before she brushed past him while also removing the diamond ring he had put on her finger a few nights before. A symbol to signify their trust and love for each other, but what did it mean now?

More importantly was there still a chance for him to get it all back?

**An****d so ends "The argument" making way for "Fairytale Ending?" the chappie I've been keeping under wraps all this time. Initially I was gonna include the resolution within this chap but that would have made it even longer and less realistic to be honest. So half way through typing up "Marry me" I came to the decision to have a fifth chapter. The one hint I can give you guys about this fifth chap is ...nah i don't wanna ruin it ;)**

**P.S. Sorry there wasn't any jex in this chap guys but that's the other reason for "Fairytale ending?" ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A Fairytale Ending?**

**Hey guys!! Again sorry I didn't update this sooner but the fact that I got 3 reviews for the last chapter didn't really get me all that motivated to go on. I know that as a writer you're meant to focus on telling the story but it's fairly disappointing for the writer to not know how the reader feels about the story. Anyhoo I already had this update written out and I wanted to finish this fic off so I thought of posting it. **

**Now this chapter does touch on a few elements of SNBH but it focuses more on what I considered to be it's continuation, possibly right up to the point where we saw druggie bearded Jack, but that will be saved for the possible epilogue. As always a big thankyou to everyone who reviewed, favorited, alerted and read this fic and I hope you guys will like this instalment too ;)**

Enjoy

He started to get back into his usual routine which merely consisted of him waking up in the morning, eating something if he felt like it or had the time which was a rare occurrence nowadays due to the heavy work schedule he had subjected himself to in an effort to help the pain dissipate somewhat, but it only seemed to be getting worse as the days dragged on.

It had been exactly four months since he had last seen her, or more so denied himself the opportunity to do so because in his mind there was no chance for forgiveness for what he nearly let happen that night.

_No, she deserved _ _better than that._

So with that in mind he quickly packed his things and left, without a second thought to consider. No matter how much his heart broke he knew he had to this, but still it hurt like hell to not have her with him.

_I wonder if it would be okay to call her?_

The question always presented itself every waking moment of the day, but in the end he always stopped himself knowing it would cause nothing but pain for the both of them, especially after what he did.

_Beep beep_

He immediately let out a sigh, not really in the mood to deal with this life anymore, but if anyone put themselves in this kind of predicament, it was him.

"You're needed in the OR." Was all the message stated and as a natural reflex he rushed right down there, not even taking the time to consider why he was the specific one who was called in.

(Meanwhile – down the hall)

"Please just tell me if he's gonna be okay."

"Mam we're doing what we can. He's in the OR right now and we……."

"Kate?" she suddenly heard her name being called and she immediately froze, allowing one of her hands to drop to her tummy in an effort to contain the queasiness she felt overwhelm her at that precise moment.

_It usually doesn't hit around this time of day_ , she reminded herself as the effects worsened a tad, causing her to nearly loose feeling in her legs at one point but lucky for her she was then swept up almost immediately by a pair of arms, and the only thing she saw before it all went dark were a pair of brown eyes staring right back at her with nothing but confusion and concern.

The first thing that awoke her was the rather annoying beeping sound of the heart rate monitor she found herself hooked up to.

_Was it that bad? Oh my God the ba……."_

"Hey."

_There it was again, that_ _queasy feeling….could it really be?_

"Jack?" she then called out deciding to give her instincts a shot regardless of any awkwardness that might ensue if it wasn't him.

"Yeah, it's me." The voice responded while letting out a sigh of relief, but soon silence followed and Kate had the slightest inclination as to what this tension might have resulted from, especially when she caught sight of him gazing at the noticeable change in her.

"Jack I……." she started off but she decided to shut herself up midway because there was really no excuse for concealing something as big as this.

"Is it?" he felt the need to ask just in case he got his hopes up for nothing. The question was, was he truly ready to accept such a responsibility. Although a few things needed to be taken care of before that, more precisely her reason for not telling him in the first place.

"Yes." She simply replied in an almost shameful manner for the obvious reason of course.

"Kate wh……."

"Aaron." Kate then interrupted him, suddenly realising about the initial reason she was here and when he failed to offer an immediate response she was out of the bed in no time, but she barely had the time to move before her arm was grasped was the man she was trying so hard to avoid all this time. His grip was surprisingly firm and the act roused nothing but her fear, making him incredibly ashamed for ever having done such a thing to her.

"Kate I ……I'm so sorry, I don't know what cam……."

"Don't sweat it Jack." She offered a little harsher than intended but to a certain extent she felt she was credible enough to convey this sense of anger and unease with him, especially after he left her and Aaron without so much as a simple goodbye.

His first instinct was to confront her in an attempt to clear this dark cloud hanging over their heads but in the end he resisted the urge to do so, feeling that he had caused her enough pain already.

She spent a majority of the day with Aaron, still wondering how careless and irresponsible she was to let this happen in the first place, but she took some comfort in the fact that he was going to make a complete recovery.

"_Just a few bruises_ _"_ was the prognosis she was more so assured of rather than informed because she was entirely convinced that the consequences of her carelessness wouldn't be overlooked so easily.

"I'm so sorry." She chanted over and over again as she gazed at the precious figure lying dormant before her. The last few months had been the toughest to say the least, what with Aaron constantly asking about Jack and why he wasn't there to read to him at night anymore.

"_He's working late tonight Honey." _

The excuse proved believable the first week or so but there was only so much convincing she could muster, that was until she decided to tell him the cold hard truth. However her decision was wavered considerably when she then found out something that would mark a distinct change in her life.

So now here she was, four months pregnant and hurting for so many reasons other than the one she was dealing with at the moment.

"He's gotten so big." A voice stated, startling her out of her reverie and then immediately forcing her to sigh in fatigue of having to deal with this once again.

"Yeah, well a lot changes in four months." She replied while looking at him out of the corner of her eye as he sat at the foot of Aaron's bed smiling ever so slightly when his eyes caught sight of something.

"So I see." He joked and then turned serious when his gaze upon her small but slightly bulging tummy. The feature warming his heart in the same way any other parent to be would feel, but the circumstances of the current predicament was what held him back from fully embracing what this would mean and as if almost sensing this, Kate then took it upon herself to go ahead and confront him once and for all.

"Look, Jack I was going to tell you but…."

"I understand." He chipped in exuding an expression that nearly caused for her to melt into mush, especially now since her hormones were completely out of whack. However in the end she quickly snapped herself out of it only to then have it all thrown out the window when he leaned forward to grasp hold of her hand giving it a reassuring squeeze once she allowed complete initiation of the engagement. This was honestly the last thing she expected from him.

_Was he on drugs or something?_

_Or was this all some dream from which she would wake up from any second?_

"Kate?" he gently called out in an effort to gain her full attention for what his mind had practically rehearsed more than a thousand times over in front of the mirror. Though there was one significant difference in all of this, but was this new piece of information really worth prolonging the inevitable, straining it to such an extent where there would be nothing left to salvage.

"I lo……."

"Mommy." A small voice suddenly filled the room and both Jack and Kate were at the little boy's side trying to understand what was wrong.

"Sweetie what is it?"

"Hur…….hurts Mommy." The boy attempted to explain through the obvious pain he unfortunately obtained from his injuries and it broke Kate's heart all the more to know that she was somewhat responsible for this.

_If only I had kept my eye on him at the time. _

Jack on the other hand re checked Aaron's injuries to see what he could do to ease the pain. Though it seemed his only option at the moment was to put the little mite on a mild sedative and it literally took every ounce of encouragement within him to see this as the best solution, but would Kate agree to it?

(Later that day)

The silence was really getting to her now, but what kept her in check the whole time was what Jack had assured her off earlier on.

_I can fix this._

Yes, it did come off as a bit of a cliché at first but the sheer determination in his voice was more than enough to temporarily soothe her worry at the time. However five hours later and she was back to square one. That was until he finally walked through the door, allowing her the chance to ask the one thing she had been longing to for the last five hours.

"Is he okay?"

"He's a fighter Kate…….just like his Mommy." He confessed, not believing in the slightest that he had just said that and the slight gasp coming from Kate at that precise moment suggested that the feeling was indeed mutual. Although the pair spent little time pressing on the rather tedious subject, instead they chose to focus their attention on the little boy that somehow willed their paths to cross once again.

_He's gonna be fine, _ _everything is gonna be fine._

(Two weeks later)

It was amazing how much had changed within the space of the last two weeks. Aaron had thankfully made a speedy recovery and in the process a few other things unexpectedly recovered along with it.

"Thanks for doing this Jack."

"Nothing a good cup of coffee can't fix right?" He replied shrugging it off like it was nothing but he secretly hoped that this would gradually rekindle what they once shared with each other.

"Yeah, well I think it was just what I needed after having one hell of a time, not even knowing if……" she expressed with a prolonged sigh but broke off mid way when she considered the possibility once again. A thing she had been doing an awful lot for the past week.

"Hey, hey look at me……."

"This is NOT your fault okay. We all make mistakes in life and this was no exception so don't go beating yourself about "what if" and start focusing on "what is." he vowed to firmly assure her as his hands gently massaged the tops of her shoulders, slowly draining the tension along with her doubt.

It was times like this that made her truly consider and appreciate how much of a positive influence he played on hers' and Aaron life. All this time she did her very best to try and ignore the fact that things were far from okay, and it seemed to be working but everywhere she turned, she was suddenly reminded of what she wanted, needed in more ways than one……..

"Especially now." She muttered as her gaze naturally fell upon the culmination of the one moment in her life she cherished with every fibre of her being.

When she first found out she was pregnant she went into a complete and obvious state of shock, but the next thing that crossed her mind was how she was going to break this news to him, and more importantly would he get past his anger and accept it?

It was fair to say that the last week or so had presented her with a solid answer to that question, and if not then she knew he would do everything in his power to prove that he was ready. His determination was one of the one things she loved most about him.

"I'm sorry Kate." He confessed as he allowed his gaze to land on the same place hers was still firmly planted on, the immediate assumption of his apology stinging to say the least.

"I see." Was all she could say feeling like a complete and utter fool for ever thinking that maybe, just maybe she might get the happy ending she felt she deserved after living a life that offered nothing but misery and pain.

Jack on the other hand honestly had no freaking idea as to what was happening before his eyes, but the realisation soon kicked in when she started to walk away from him.

"Kate…..Kate what?" he strived to ask of her and he was rewarded with a response when he finally caught sight of her tear streaked face. Without considering the boundaries he was about to overstep, he pulled her into his arms, struggling with her at first but her emotions got the better of her in the end, finally giving him the chance to explain.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through this alone but that's all gonna change now."

It was no surprise that she was slightly taken aback by what she was hearing, but to a certain extent this is exactly what she wanted to hear ever since she first found out she was expecting.

_Would it be different this time?_

"How do I know Jack?"

"Know what………"

"That I can trust in you and not think that you're going to bring the past up again." She went onto elaborate, taking note to put a lot of emphasis on the word "past" because no matter how many times she told him, he still held onto the possibility of there being something between her and Sawyer.

"Because of this Kate." He pointed out as he placed his hand against her bulging stomach, the act shocking and warming her at the same time.

"This is the future, our future."

She was seriously at a loss of words at this point, and the incessant beeping filling the room the next minute forced her to maintain that moment of silence between them.

_Crap_ , he muttered under his breath, then facing her with an apologetic look.

"It's okay, besides I should be heading home any way."

"Okay." He responded feeling disappointed and frustrated at the same time that there was always some kind of interruption when it came to them.

"So….I guess I'll see ya." Kate nervously proposed, not even realising the one firm reason he would be seeing her a lot now.

"You free tonight?" he finally asked feeling like a considerable weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Well I might have to check in with my man first, but I'm fairly sure he'd be okay with me spending some time with you."

_Man? What man?_

Those were the only questions that seemed to fill his mind at the moment, but that all changed within a matter of seconds when he found himself to be the victim of her amusement.

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"Especially since you always fall for it." She shot back through her giggles which strengthened even more when he faced her with a well rehearsed puppy dog expression.

"So is that a yes?" he stressed, bracing himself for the possible worst but her lack of excuses gave him the chance to extinguish any uncertainty.

"I meant what I said Kate." Jack firmly added in a serious tone as he alternated his gaze between her and the one thing that showered him with nothing but hope and promise.

"I know." She agreed with a shy smile and with a wordless sense of agreement shared between them, they finally parted ways.

_It will be different this time._

* * *

She knew it was stupid to be doing this, but she couldn't help but feel the need to make everything look perfect including her appearance.

"Mommy." A distressed voice in the doorway to her bedroom called out to her.

"Hey swee'pea, everything okay?" Kate softly asked of the boy as she studied his rather pale expression, growing more worried by the minute, especially when she felt how alarmingly warm his skin was.

"It hurts." He whined in a trembling tone which broke Kate's heart completely and before she could tend to him any further, her ears were suddenly welcomed with a faint knocking on her front door.

_Great_

"Mommy." Aaron whined once again and with that she picked the little guy up and went downstairs to finally greet her "guest".

"Hey, you look………." Jack started out as he was graced with her presence but his elation soon died down when he saw the worry spreading all over her face, and he had a slight inclination that it had something to do with the little boy in her arms.

"Jack I ..." she attempted to explain, but he beat her right to it when he wordlessly invited himself in, in an effort to ease her worry.

"Jack." The little boy faintly uttered before the effects of the strengthening fever got the better of him.

"Oh my God is he…….."

"He's fine. Nothing a little Tylenol can't fix." Jack confirmed as he went about checking Aaron's vitals just to make sure that it was nothing more than a fever.

* * *

It was 5 past midnight now and the last thing she remembered witnessing was Jack trying to lull a growingly frantic Aaron to relax after he had given him a small dose of Tylenol Kate had always kept in ready supply for dire situations such as these.

Where was he, she wondered as her eyes made a quick survey of her present surroundings and before she could voice her concern, she picked up on a muffled mumbling coming from upstairs. The sound drawing her closer and closer until she reached it's destination, her heart swelling with nothing but love as she watched him.

_But if I'm not the same then the que_ _stion is who in the world am I?_

_Ah, that's the great puzzle……._

As always it worked like a charm. He truly was a natural at this and it was simple moments like this that made her realise just how lucky she was to be carrying his child.

_Your Daddy really is something you know that_ , she spoke to her unborn baby, completely unaware of the fact that she was now being watched and heard the entire time.

"So is his or her Mommy." Jack added right before he took the risk and pulled her into his arms, her emotions spilling out the moment the side of her head hit his firmly sculptured chest. It felt so good to able to hold her again and judging by the way she was literally clawing at his back, he could tell that the feeling was indeed mutual.

They spent the next few minutes just relaxing in each other's embrace, but what started out as an innocent exchange of comfort turned into something more physical. So much so that they had to quickly rip themselves from one another before anything did happen, more so Kate than Jack who was positively close to devouring the man across from her for looking as delicious as he did at that precise moment.

"Well I guess I should go." He reluctantly proposed hoping that she would say something to make him stay because truth be told, four months was more than enough time to be spent away from her.

"Coffee." She cheerfully pronounced knowing him long enough to guess when he said something he didn't really mean, and if the weird superstition about _"Coffee leading to sex" _ was true then a proposal like this would be all the more satisfying for her appetite.

Jack on the other hand played along with it honestly feeling like a few cups wouldn't hurt.

_Anything to be with her_ , he said to himself as he contained his slightly trembling hands from just grabbing and having his way with her once and for all.

Surprisingly enough the night had taken on a different turn of events. They instead talked about their many adventures alone and together on the island. Jack brought her up to speed on what he had learned during his stay with the others including his one drunken night which started out as a game of cards with some of the guys, although somehow during the night he found himself chained to one of the legs of the table and him clad in nothing but his boxers. From that point onwards he was always extremely wary of these people, especially Tom after some of the rumours he had heard about the guy.

"Awww was Jackie boy a little scared of some "Man lovin"

"Hey, I have nothing against it but I can assure you that I don't really swing that way. You above all people should know that." he firmly declared and she just raised her eyebrows at him in response while saying…….

"Really." She uttered as she inched herself closer to him on the sofa they were seated on at the moment, and when her face was merely inches from his, she continued on with what her body wanted to say and hopefully experience once again as a result.

"Care to refresh my memory." She more or less breathed against his face, willing him to lose his sense of thought and logic. Instead all he chose to focus on was her lips and how incredibly tantalising the sight was. Everything in the back of their minds was screaming out the words _"it's too soon",_ but if there was anything they learnt about waiting for the right time was that it never came when you least expected it to. With that in mind he finally took the plunge and lightly placed his lips upon hers, igniting an almost immediate change of pressure from her that had him moaning back appreciatively while he pulled her more into him.

She had gradually gotten him to a point where he was up for anything as long as it involved loving her in every possible way. She now lay completely over him on the sofa, their bodies still clothed but the emanating heat between them made them wish they weren't, and thankfully Kate took it upon herself to make that a reality as she momentarily pulled away from a whining Jack, who then physically contained himself as he understood what she was doing.

Button by button she slowly uncovered his rapidly moving chest, a sight that forced her own heart to beat with the same race and rhythm, and halfway through it she just gave up and leaned down to attack every inch of skin that lay like the most delicious meal in the world to her, and he was in no mood to argue with her growing insatiability for him.

Once she was relatively satisfied with acquiring just enough of his taste to get her going, she pulled away once again to then free herself from the materialistic restraints that held her from properly feeling him.

He was agonisingly torn between the sight of her bashful breast now hovering inches away from his gasping mouth and the methodical movement of her gyrating hips. Each demanding for his attention in their own sultry way and he found no option but to be greedy and have both at the same time. The arousing sensation causing for Kate to literally scream, but she was silenced in time as Jack placed one of his fingers against her lips. That was until she decided to get one back on him by lightly biting the tip and then moving the first half of his finger into her warm and wet mouth. He moaned right away in response and sucked even harder at her nipples as she moved her mouth up and down his finger, getting him more harder than he had ever imagined, and he was prepared for an all out tussle when she then pulled herself away from him for a third time.

"I want it Jack, I want you inside me already." She painfully explained as her hands frantically worked over the belt to his dress pants, and with a little manoeuvring they were finally off his hips, leaving her to contend with his boxers that displayed the very prominent bulge of her efforts.

"Like what you see?" Jack strained to ask as he cupped the side of her face to gauge her reaction to his excitement, and he very nearly died and grew even harder with the overwhelming amount of want he saw within her gaze right before she hunched herself over him and welcomed his free and swelling appendage with her mouth.

"Ahhh fuck." He grunted into the thick air before him as she sucked on his tip, adding just the right amount of pressure to help him ride his impending orgasm out properly, but that all changed in a matter of seconds the moment her lips moved a little further down, his tip now lightly bumping against the back of her throat with each thrust, and on the fifth he bucked himself up into her and let go of all his inhibitions along with his seed which seemed to flow wildly and continuously into Kate's greedy mouth.

Once he was done which literally seemed like hours to him, he woke from his temporary lapse of consciousness to witness her licking him all over to see if there was any more of his release left, and all he did was gently stroke the back of her head, then gaining her immediate attention and facing him with a satisfied smile.

"Mmmmm that was so good." She moaned as her hand continued to stroke his half placid cock, and it took everything in him to not explode all over her. Instead he closed his eyes to gain some sense of focus and within that time she managed to rid herself of the rest of her clothes along with any of his that still stood in the way of her having what her body was humming to achieve.

The moment his eyes opened, they were directly met with hers and words weren't simply needed for what their intentions were, especially as Kate lowered herself onto his recovered hardness, them both moaning in please and relief for being granted the chance to experience something like this. To be physically and emotionally connected with the one you love overriding every obstacle that may have presented itself as a potential threat later on, and he became affirmed to support that theory the moment she started to move over him, maintaining a strong level of focus while she whispered how wonderful it felt to be loved by him, urging him to then let go and give into her completely. Thrust after thrust, each one building up to a momentum of ecstacy from which there was no return.

(Some time later)

"Phew…..I think I might be in need of some medical assistance." Jack struggled to speak in between his laboured breathing which was of no comparison to the way Kate felt. All she knew was that this is what love felt like at its best, and she wasn't about to give it up any time soon.

They had officially lost count on the amount of times they had joined together in this physical dance of pleasure, but they knew that they were no longer able to participate in it, well not for a good few hours any way. However before they could fully give into their exhaustion, they were suddenly interrupted by a distinct mumbling coming from who they assumed to be Aaron.

"Let me." Jack offered knowing that Kate needed her rest, especially now more than anything and thankfully she didn't put up an argument against it. So he quickly slipped out from the blanket they had managed to salvage during their ravenous moment of passion. Once he slipped his boxers on he kissed her one last time before checking to see what was bothering Aaron and he immediately grew startled to find a seemingly unknown figure huddled over him.

"Get away from him." He warned wishing to God he had some form of defence to help convey the sheer extent of his threat. However that all changed when he was then faced with a person he never thought he'd see here.

"Claire?"

"You have to bring him back. It's the only way."

"The only way for what?" he strived to ask as he inched himself towards her, stopping mid way when she wordlessly gave him the signal to stay clear of her.

"JUST BRING HIM BACK JACK!!" she demanded in a louder tone and in the blink of an eye she was gone, leaving him to wonder whether this was just a figment of his imagination or whether there was some truth behind all the craziness.

**Well there it finally is. So what do you think guys? Yes i do have an Epilogue planned but it all depends on how this chappie fairs.**


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**As promised here it** **finally is guys and thanks so much for the reviews whether it be signed or anonymous, THANK YOU ;)**

**P.S. I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm thinking of ending my Jate AU fic "Choices" with the newest chapter I had posted a few days ago. The reason for it being that it doesn't seem to be very popular with you guys which moi kind of understands. Anyway all we would have had for the next few chapters was some makeup jex, Jack and Kate's wedding with a little twist (the honeymoon as well lol), the birth of the third jaby, Jill's return, plus a few familiar faces from the island with possibly life changing surprises but ah well……**

Enjoy

"Any change?" an immensely worried Kate asked for what felt like the thousandth time and Jack was forced to give her nothing but the same answer in return.

It had been two weeks now and Aaron's condition had worsened considerably leaving Jack to really consider what Claire had more or less demanded for him to do. However being a man of science willed him to rely on that rather than what he medically classed as a delusion.

_Or was it_ , he thought to himself as he gazed at the extremely pale face of a boy who was more livelier than ever two weeks ago, especially when Jack moved back in with them seeing it as the best way to monitor Aaron's rather erratic illness, but he did it for the more obvious reason as well and Kate definitely wasn't one to complain. Her baby needed a Father and so did Aaron.

_It's the only way._

What exactly did she mean by that? He always wondered trying to search for some kind of logical answer, but Aaron's condition itself didn't seem to be medically logical, in the sense where he had a lot of symptoms that didn't connect. At times the little guy was right as rain and other times he grew so weak that he could barely stand. Unfortunately the effects of this sickness seemed to strengthen and without any sense of hesitation he was immediately admitted into hospital the next day, only to then be told that it was some kind of rare fever not completely unusual for a child of his age to catch, but never the less the only thing they could do was wait it out and hope that it would subside.

Aaron of course made a fuss about staying in the restricted confines of his hospital bed, and with some begging and reassurance from the Doctor's that it was okay, the little guy was finally granted his wish to be able to go home.

Though what seemed like a good option at the time became a considerably regrettable one over the weeks when Aaron's condition failed to subside in the slightest.

"What am I going to do?" Kate mumbled to herself feeling completely responsible for not taking heed of the tell tale signs that this was a bad idea. However her self berating was brought to a complete and immediate halt when Jack pulled her into his arms, softly soothing and assuring her that he would value the solemn oath he had made to keep them safe no matter what, and that went for the baby growing inside of her as well.

"Why don't you go rest for a bit and I'll keep an eye on him." Jack then suggested suddenly realising that all this worry wasn't really good for her and the baby.

"I can't leave him. It's all my fault that this is happening and I should have never….." she started babbling through her tears breaking Jack heart even more, but he managed to keep his emotions in check for the time being and after continuously assuring her that Aaron would be fine and well taken care of she gave in with a prolonged sigh to show the very extent of her fatigue.

After tucking her in safely much to her slight amusement, he slowly closed the door to her room and retrieved hold of his mobile, then punching in a number he was secretly issued in case of an emergency such as this.

"Hi, I was just……" Jack barely had the time to voice his concern before the voice on the other end of the line beat him to the punch saying……

"It's happening isn't it."

"Look we don't even know if the island is related to all of this." Jack shot back defending his reasons for ignoring this crazed man's warning at the time.

"But Claire is and no matter what you might think of me we both know that Aaron was meant to be with her instead." The man explained feeling like he'd been over this a thousand times already, but thankfully his patience and determination to make the Good Doctor see the bigger picture hadn't weaned out yet.

"Kate is…."

"Capable yes but she plays no part in Aaron's destiny or Claire's for that matter, but you do Jack and sooner or later you're gonna have to accept it." The man simply explained to Jack hoping that he would think a little outside the box and consider such a thing as fate.

Whenever this man talked to him about destiny he always felt like he was talking with Locke again, but the only difference was that this man was a lot more determined and forceful in his warnings of what he supposedly foresaw. Still he wasn't overly convinced that such things existed in the world, but with what happened in his life on and off the island, he couldn't help but feel that maybe there was a higher power somewhere working to keep the balance in order as Jeremy constantly put it.

"And what if I don't, what if I think that this destiny thing is a whole bunch of crap?" he had the audacity to ask, knowing he could probably lose the one possible answer to Aaron's cure, but at the same time he had to be sure that this Jeremy guy was legit in what he was saying.

"Well we'll just have to see won't we." The man simply said clearly attempting to convey who the right one here was, and before he could hang up he decided to issue Jack with one last piece of information.

"Oh and Jack you might wanna consider your son's welfare as well because you never know when it might change at the click of a finger." Jeremy added and then hung up leaving Jack in a complete state of shock for so many reasons. The good kind being that he was going to father a son and the bad one being the danger his son would have to endure as a result of his stubbornness.

For once in his life there was something he couldn't fix and it frustrated him to no end, but in some ways he used this to mask the true fear he felt at being put in this kind of position. Plus the very mention of his unborn son being put in any kind of danger amplified his worry even more.

He was split between wanting to tell Kate and keeping her in the dark for her own benefit. Either way he knew that it wouldn't make a lick of difference but it would at least give him some time to figure things out and maybe avert what was apparently coming in the process.

* * *

Weeks had passed and all he earned from it was a decision. A decision that could potentially jeopardise things in the bargain, particularly between him and Kate, but in effect he was doing this for them, for their future.

He decided that today was the day he was gonna come clean with everything. Who Jeremy was and what he was trying to find out, Aaron's real reason for falling ill, and more importantly the risk of their own child's future.

He spent the majority of his shift mentally rehearsing what he would say and by the end of it he saw that it was time.

(Meanwhile)

Thinking of herself and her needs had become a thing of the past since Aaron's condition had worsened and with no change or hope for a cure she was left feeling more useless than ever.

**Knock knock**

She grew confused by the sound at first being that she wasn't expecting anyone apart from Jack and he had his own key. Regardless of that however she answered it and was faced with a middle aged man she vaguely remembered seeing before, but couldn't seem to recollect from where.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she still kept a majority of her form behind the door to mainly convey her weariness of this person. His very presence sending shivers down her spine, especially when he said the words…….

"I think you know Kate."

* * *

He pulled into the driveway a half hour later, immediately knitting his eyebrows in confusion when he spotted what looked like the very man he had been trying to keep away from Kate all this time leaving their house, obviously suggesting that he was simply too late. Never the less he played it cool but braced himself for the worst when he finally walked through that front door and unfortunately it seemed the worst was yet to come when he came face to face with a weary pair of green eyes.

"How long have you known?" Kate asked in a low and dangerous tone, but there was a hint of a tremble within it due to the emotion she felt overwhelm her at being betrayed by yet another person she foolishly chose to trust.

"Kate I….." he attempted to explain but she seemed to be past the point of explanations or reasoning and to a certain extent he couldn't blame her. He would have probably done the same if he were in her position.

"HOW LONG!!" she stressed growing frustrated by his hesitation to simply give her a straight answer

"A few weeks." He shamefully revealed feeling that maybe a lot more could have been done if he had just told her then, but he didn't and why, because he thought he could somehow fix this all by himself.

"Do you believe him?" she then asked secretly basing her other decision on the kind of response she would get from him and unfortunately it wasn't the one she hoped for.

From there on the events of that day had taken a turn for the worse and Jack was left with no choice but to relent and respect her decision to figure things out on her own despite his reluctance to stay and fight her over this, because there was a lot more than Aaron's welfare at stake here. However if there was anything he knew about her was that when her mind was made up there was simply no changing it. So with that he momentarily gave up the fight but still firmly vowed to himself that he would never give up.

(A month later)

His endless mission or more so obsession had subjected his life in more ways than one. Of what he heard Aaron had thankfully made a full recovery but still it didn't stop him from what he felt was necessary in an attempt to stop something like this from happening again. Though there was only so much he had control over and the dreaded phone call he received a few days ago literally sent him over the edge, leading for him to seek the nearest form of temporary relief in an attempt to wash away the immense pain he felt at continuously hearing the words…...

"_Kate lost the baby."_

Self blame seemed to be a bit of an understatement after hearing this devastating news, and he knew Kate felt the same way judging by her complete lack of communication with him. Never the less he tried his level best to be there for her through this tough time, but she wouldn't even see him let alone talk to him and to be fairly honest he wasn't courageous enough to face her in such a state.

(3 months later)

Loneliness seemed to be his only friend now, that and the half empty bottle of liquor he was currently grasping with all the strength he could muster in this lucid state.

Ever since their loss the ties between them had weakened even further, but still Jack tried to salvage what they had and much to his surprise she also agreed to it. Though her intentions for doing so were completely different from his and in the end they both felt that they were better off the way they were before this_ "phase" _as she so bitterly called it.

He reluctantly accepted it at first but of course had a hard time letting go, and it was this kind of end result that made him think about fate and if it would have been any different if they had stayed on the island instead.

_Would he and Kate_ _have had their baby?_

_Would he and Kate still be together?_

He couldn't answer these questions for sure but he was curious to find out whether there was still time to make it right, but in an effort to do that he needed to convince her as well.

_To make her see the bigger picture_ _the way he did now._

So with that he dialled her number one last time, partly expecting to get her voicemail just like every other attempt but luck seemed to finally award him with a response.

"Hello." The voice tiredly spoke into the phone and it was only then that he realised what time it actually was.

"Hey, it's me." He replied and before he could sense being hung upon he quickly went onto explain his need to simply see her, and with some more begging she finally gave in, evoking a streak of hope that maybe just maybe this could work.

All he needed to have was a little faith.

**THE END**

**Well there it is and yay this is the one fic I've finished...or has it lol. I've already started planning a partnering oneshot to this because I seem to have a problem with giving my fics a firm end hehe. **

**Anyhoo what do you think guys? **


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